Times of Change
by Rebel Shadowknight
Summary: This is the sequel to Next Generation Heroes. It's a race against time to stop the Metal Heads from reaching the Precursor Citadel. Read Next Generation Heroes first or you'll be totally lost. OMG! I'm alive! And here's chapter 6. DUE FOR REVISION.SEE NGH
1. The Storm and the Wastelander

**Rebel: This is the sequel to _Next Generation Heroes_ as I mentioned in the summary. If you haven't read the first book, do so now. I'm not going to summarize it because I'm kind of lazy (who isn't?). For all of you who are still reading this because you have read the first book, I hope you enjoy this story. We meet up with some old game characters and a few new ones. Enjoy the next book in the _Next Generation Heroes_ trilogy! R&R!

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The Storm and the Wastelander

It had been several long, hot hours of driving across the desert since the Metal Heads had taken Haven City. With nothing but the GPS to guide them, Grace, Max, and Derek had traveled in anxious silence. Derek had been forced to take off his brown biker jacket and toss it in the back of the zoomer. Max had taken off his shirt which, being black, had baked him within the first hour. Grace was trying to pin up her long blonde hair with a pair of chopsticks she had found when the radio came on with an emergency broadcast.

"Warning! Air currents have violently shifted. A sandstorm is predicted within the next half hour. We suggest taking cover as soon as possible."

As if summoned by this announcement, the wind began to pick up suddenly. Max coughed as a sudden gust threw sand up into his face. Although it was sweltering, Max pulled his shirt back on, and Derek slipped back into his jacket because the sand was starting to fly up and sting any exposed skin. Grace pulled a cloak out of her bag along with some other gear.

Grace passed Max a pair of shades, handed Derek what looked like snowboarding goggles, and slipped on her own pair of goggles. They looked a great deal like the pair Keira wore, but had a target sighter attached to the right lens' frame.

"Max!" Grace called, noticing Max's squirming. He had no jacket so the sand was rubbing his arms raw. "Get on the floor of the zoomer and cover up!" she shouted through the howling wind. Max laid down and covered himself as best he could with his bag.

Derek drove on, searching for shelter.

"There!" Grace said, her voice muffled by the red scarf she'd just tied over her nose and mouth. She pointed to a large stone outcropping with a cave just visible in the side.

"We can't block up the entrance!" Derek shouted. "The storm will still get us!" He spat out some sand.

"We'll use the zoomer!" Grace shouted back. They headed toward the rocky cliffs.

As the rocks loomed up ahead, Derek noticed a Sand Shark heading for cover. 'I can't just leave whoever that is out in the storm.' Derek thought and angled the zoomer so it came up alongside the dune buggy.

The driver looked up. The person wore a tan cloak. Part of the hood had been drawn up over the driver's nose and mouth, and was held in place with desert goggles like Derek's.

Derek signaled to the person to drive into the cave first. The driver seemed to understand what Derek planned, and floored the gas, getting in front of the zoomer.

The Sand Shark reached the cavern, followed closely by the zoomer. Derek parked in the entrance, and everyone jumped out. Grace popped the rear engine hood to help block out the raging storm. The mysterious driver ran up with some blankets and packages which they used to fill the gaps. As the chinks of light in the entrance were blocked up, Grace struck a match. Then she noticed something.

"Hey, guys. We have no kindling. We can't light a fire." The Sand Shark driver walked briskly to his vehicle and began to rummage in the glove compartment. As the light of the match died, it was replaced by the steady light of glow sticks the stranger had pulled out.

Derek walked up as the cloaked figure set the glow sticks in the center of the cave and sat down cross-legged.

Derek sat down opposite the stranger. "So," Derek began, staring coldly at the person facing him. "What's someone like you doing out in the desert alone?"

"What are you talking about?" Max asked, sitting down next to Derek. "This dude's obviously a Wastelander."

"That doesn't explain what he was doing out there." Derek snapped.

The stranger shrugged. "I might as well tell you." He, no, she removed her hood and goggles.

Derek now sat across from a girl around his age with shoulder-length red hair and deep emerald eyes. The girl unclasped her cloak. She wore a racing jumpsuit with odd bits of wasteland armor attached. Then the girl rolled up her cloak and tucked it behind her.

Max stared, his jaw slightly agape. "What's wrong with you?" the girl asked. "Never seen a girl before?"

"No, he has." Grace said as she sat down on Derek's free side. "It's just that he has no idea how to act around them." The Wastelander chuckled. Then she politely cleared her throat to stop laughing.

"You wanted to know what I was doing out in the desert if I recall." The girl said. Derek nodded. "My name is Kara. I'm a storm racer."

"What's that?" Max asked.

"A storm racer," Kara stated, "is someone who goes out before a sand storm to look for people still in the desert. Normally, I'm out there sooner, so I get back to Spargus before the storm hits, but no one expected the change in air currents. That's why I almost got caught out there in the sand storm."

"What's so bad about a sand storm?" Grace asked. Kara stared at her in disbelief.

"Grace is from up north." Max explained. "She doesn't know much about the Wasteland."

"I'll make it simple for you to understand then." Kara said to Grace. "If you get caught in a sand storm, it will rip the flesh right off your bones." Everyone was silent, listening to the wailing of the storm outside. It was like some rabid beast was trying to get in, savagely clawing and biting at every surface it came into contact with.

"Listen, the storm's not going to die down until tomorrow." Kara said, heaving a sigh as she got up off the cold hard ground. "Let's get some rest while we can." She began to walk toward her Sand Shark and stopped.

"Why were you guys out in the desert anyway?" Kara asked.

"We needed to speak to Sig. It's urgent." Grace said as she got up.

"You know, they probably won't let you into Spargus, unless…" Kara trailed off, waiting for someone to finish.

Derek caught on. "Unless we were with you." Kara nodded. "What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously.

Kara turned back to face Derek, Max, and Grace. "I have a secondary mission as a storm racer. After the storms I search for Precursor artifacts. Lately, we've been detecting an energy source in the old leaper lizard ruins. Hopefully this storm will have uncovered it. I need some help to find this object because the radar can't pinpoint it. It's too strong, and too small. What do you say? Will you help me out?"

"We'll think about it." Derek replied.

Max and Grace had curled up in their zoomer seats for the night. Kara had done likewise in the Sand Shark. Derek was still sitting by the glow stick pile, deep in thought.

"Max, are you awake?" Grace whispered.

"It's hard to sleep with that sand storm outside. I can feel it through my seat." Max whispered back.

"I think we should take Kara's offer. We need to get into Spargus City, and…this Precursor artifact sounds…important. I want to know what it is." Grace said in a low voice.

Max sat up a little straighter in his seat. "I'm with you."

"Great." Grace said. "Now we just need to convince Derek."

Max looked over at Derek. "No worries." he said, winking at Grace. "I have a feeling Derek is more than willing to accept Kara's offer."

Grace gave Max a puzzled look, and turned to face Derek. "Oh." she whispered. Derek seemed to be looking at nothing in particular, but every so often, he'd glance at Kara, blush, and turn away again.

Grace and Max chuckled quietly before settling down again. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

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**Rebel: So what did you think? It might take me a while to type up the next chapter because I'm so lazy, and it's finals week, but I'll work on it. Please review. I love reviews. Tell me if you liked it, or what you liked, or if you have a story I should read. That reminds me. Everyone who likes wolves and Jak should read Cry of the Wolf. It's an awesome story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	2. Hide and Seek

**Rebel: Here's chapter two. Sorry about how long it took. Usually I post a lot faster, but hopefully the chapter will make up for forcing you to wait. Just to let you know, the ruins refer to that area where you chased leaper lizards in Jak 3, and I made all of the Marauder vehicles Gila Stompers like the one you use in the metal head nest in Jak 3. Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review. Reviews make me happy.**

2. Hide and Seek

Max awoke to an annoying beeping in his ear. At first he couldn't remember anything, but then it all came back to him. Max turned off the alarm he had set on his watch, and sat up.

"Good morning, everyone!" Max called with sarcasm. Grace yawned and stretched as best she could in her seat. Derek gave a groan as he got up. He'd fallen asleep sitting by the glow stick pile. Kara was already up and rummaging through her stuff. She pulled out some food and passed it around.

"Blech! This stuff tastes like chalk!" Max complained.

"They're energy packs, and between you and me, I think they are made of chalk." Kara mumbled as she took a bite.

After everyone had eaten, they began to haul the bags and covers out of the cave entrance. Grace pulled out a final sheet of tarp, and climbed out around the zoomer. She let out a low whistle as she inspected the back of the zoomer.

"Is the engine okay, Grace?" Derek called.

"There's so much sand I'm having trouble finding the engine." Grace replied. She began scooping some of the sand out. "Popping the hood probably wasn't the best idea."

"We had no choice, unfortunately." Derek said. "Do what you can. We'll figure something out."

Grace took a step back to survey the problem. This reminded her of when volcanic ash clogged the eco vents. The best thing to do was let the eco build up underneath. Eventually, the vent metal would start to absorb some of the eco, and repel the ash on its surface, clearing the vent.

"Hey Derek, got any Vulcan ammo?"

"Yeah, what's it for?" Derek asked.

"If I can get enough blue eco from that ammo coursing through the zoomer, I might be able to purge the engine." Grace said, brushing some more sand off the zoomer.

"Here." Derek said as he leaned out of the gap at the side of the zoomer. He tossed Grace a couple Vulcan cartridges.

"Thanks. Now stand back." Grace said. Derek disappeared into the cavern. Grace broke open the blue ammo using the butt of her morph gun which she'd brought out with her. As Grace started to channel the eco, Derek and Kara stepped back. Max, having heard none of what Grace had said, was leaning against the zoomer grill.

Grace stepped slightly to the side and laid a hand on the zoomer. The eco zipped through the metal frame, bits of dirt flying everywhere as the eco repelled it. The blue eco reached Max who was still slouching against the front of the zoomer, and sent him soaring across the cavern. Luckily, Max landed in the pile of blankets and tarps that had been taken out of the entrance. A second later Grace stuck her head around the zoomer.

"The engine's clear. You should've seen all the sand flying out. Is everyone okay?"

"Define okay." Max grumbled. He was attempting to free himself from the pile of blankets.

Derek chuckled. "Hey, Grace. Finish up. I want to start out early so the sun doesn't bake us to a crisp."

"Are we going to help Kara, then?" Grace asked. Derek nodded, and Grace gave him a little smile before disappearing behind the zoomer again.

"So this is it?" Derek asked Kara after he'd parked the zoomer next to the Sand Shark at the entrance to the ruins.

"Yes. Somewhere in this," Kara paused to kick a rock at her feet, "pile of rubble, there's a Precursor artifact. We'll have to spread out to find it." Kara handed Derek, Max, and Grace communicators that looked like beacons. "Call if you spot anything out of the ordinary."

Everyone went off in different directions.

It had been half an hour, and everyone was getting tired. Max had started up a conversation with Grace over the comm. link, and although Derek and Kara had reprimanded Max for using the line to chat, they were both secretly thankful for the distraction from the eerie silence of the ruins.

"Man, Grace, this is hopeless." Max complained over the comm.

"You just need to know where to look." Grace replied. She was only half listening to Max whining because she was busy checking out a little street she hadn't noticed before.

"What do you mean, Grace?"

"Simple." Grace said as she looked down a hole and a leaper lizard jumped out. "For some strange reason, you always find these Precursor artifacts in the last place you'd think to look."

"That doesn't really help me, Grace." Max said as he rested against a wall.

Grace took a moment to think about it as she flipped over a bit of broken plaster. "Think of it this way. It's a game of hide and seek. To find the other players, you have to ask yourself where you'd hide."

"Hey, Grace." Derek interrupted over the comm. link. "Looks like our game of hide and seek just gained a few extra players." Grace looked at her communicator, puzzled by what Derek meant. Then she heard the engines of several Marauder vehicles. Everyone ran back to the entrance of the ruins as the telltale clouds of dust drew closer.

"Look alive everyone!" Derek said as he pulled out morph guns. Kara whipped out a plasmite RPG (grenade launcher) and a vicious looking knife.

Then the first Marauder appeared. No one had noticed it come up around the ruins, and it now raced downhill toward the group of teenagers. Everyone jumped out of the way to avoid being run over. Grace disappeared into the ruins.

As the first Marauder drove past, Kara spun around and fired a grenade. The grenade landed in the back seat of the dune buggy, and detonated, sending the Gila Stomper flying into the air.

"Look out!" Derek shouted. Another Marauder was coming up behind Kara. Derek ran over and pushed Kara out of the way, grabbing her knife as he did so. As the Marauder drove up, Derek ducked out of the way, and slashed the tires. The Marauder lost control and skidded into a wall where it exploded.

Max had dodged into the ruins after Grace. Now he found himself on the opposite end of a street from a Marauder. As the Marauder spotted Max and prepared to run him over, Max pulled out his jet board.

"Time to kick it up a notch." Max said to himself. Max jumped on his board and started down the street. The Marauder did likewise, picking up speed. When it looked like the two were about to collide, Max jumped, landing on the car frame. Then he hit the small defense thrusters used to kill rodents and such. The seats of the vehicle caught on fire. Max jumped off the dune buggy and raced down the street, just avoiding the explosion as the fire reached the fuel tank.

Grace heard the explosions, but didn't dwell on it. Moments before the Marauder attack she had sensed something. It was a strange sensation; like she was being pulled toward the center of the ruins.

Now Grace came to a large open area that connected several roads. Grace spotted the subtle glow emanating from a small object in the center of the plaza. Grace stood there for what seemed like ages, entranced by the steady light. She snapped out of it as the sound of engines reached her ears again. A Marauder had entered the ruins to search for anyone who might be hiding. Now the Gila Stomper raced down one of the intersecting streets.

Grace realized it would crush what was obviously the Precursor artifact they'd been searching for. Grace acted quickly and ran across the street. She grabbed the artifact, and with the Marauder vehicle only feet away to her right and closing, she dove out of the way.

Grace tumbled across the sand as the Marauder drove down the street and began to turn. Grace got up and slipped the artifact which looked like a sphere into her pocket. Then she jumped back into the middle of the road and began to taunt the Marauder.

"You call that driving, Sewer Breath? A three year-old could do better!" The dune buggy turned to face Grace, and revved its engine.

"Bring it on, Numbskull! Your mother was a hiphog!" Grace shouted. The Marauder floored the gas.

Grace jumped out of the way again, this time the vehicle passing so close Grace's heel scraped the side. As she landed, Grace pulled out her blaster and fired at the retreating Gila Stomper. Against all odds, Grace hit the almost impossible target she had aimed for, the exhaust. The shot went through the pipe, and a second later, the dune buggy exploded from the inside out.

Grace took a moment to observe the flaming wreckage until she heard muffled calls. She pulled out her communicator.

"Grace, are you there?" the voice said again. It was Derek.

"Yeah. Is everyone okay?" Grace asked. An image of Max flashed through her mind which startled Grace, but she just told herself she was thinking of Max because she knew him best.

"We're all fine. I can't say the same for those Marauders." Derek remarked. I'm guessing you caused that last blast. Judging from the morning sun and the fire from that last explosion…we're north and slightly west of you at the edge of the ruins. Let's regroup."

"Gotcha. I'll be right there." Grace said, and slipped her communicator back in its pocket.

Grace returned to the ruin entrance to find Derek blushing ferociously and the others laughing. From the shade of red on Derek's face, Grace figured Max had made some embarrassing comment about Derek needing a girlfriend, but she didn't ask.

"So what's our plan?" Grace asked.

"Yes, well..." Derek cleared his throat as much to regain his composure as to hush the others. "There were other Marauders, but they fled when they saw the explosions. It won't be long before they come back though."

"We can't leave!" Kara protested. "This may be our only chance to find that Precursor artifact!"

"No problem, guys." Grace said, withdrawing the artifact from her pocket. She tossed it to Kara who caught it with one hand and examined it.

"Odd piece of scrap isn't it?" Kara said. "It doesn't seem to have a purpose, but someone went to the trouble of detailing it very finely." Kara held up the half-sphere for everyone to see.

A series of rings decorated the round side of the device, growing as they reached the edge, like ripples on water. On the flat side, a large piece of crystal took up most of the space. The crystal had been cut so it was flat like a mirror surface, and its rim was round. Around the crystal's edge there were runes.

"Hey, Grace. Read the inscription. I'm kinda far-sighted." Kara said and tossed the device back to Grace. Everyone gathered around as she read.

"Light shines brightest in the dark." Grace said. As soon as she did so, wisps of white mist formed on the crystal's surface and twisted around each other until they formed the seal of Mar.

"Why would it…?" Kara looked up at Grace. Peeking out from under the cloak Grace was wearing; Kara could see the tattoo of Mar's seal. "I never realized that's who you were." Kara said softly. Grace raised her head to meet Kara's gaze.

"Don't get any ideas now. " Kara said with a little grin. "You aren't getting any special treatment from me." Grace smiled back.

"Now, regarding that useless piece of Precursor junk," Kara turned away slightly. "It doesn't seem to do anything, at least, not anything useful so I don't need it." Kara turned her head back to Grace and winked. "And since you found it, it seems only fitting that you have to keep the piece of crap."

Grace chuckled. "I'll try not to complain too much."

"So what're we doing now?" Max asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. I say we go get some real grub, not those nasty energy bars of mine." Kara said.

Max's stomach gave a little growl. "I'm all for that idea." he chuckled. Everyone headed for their vehicles.

As Derek strapped in, he called over to Kara, "Ladies first!"

"Haven't you heard? Chivalry is dead!" Kara shouted. Then she flashed him a sincere smile. "Not that it isn't appreciated. Now on to Spargus City!" Kara turned her Sand Shark around and began driving away, the zoomer close behind.

**R: Hope you liked this chapter. I went to a lot of trouble describing the Precursor artifact because it's going to come in handy during the final book of the trilogy. Check out the preview about the final story at the bottom of my user page along with a lot of other stuff coming soon! Oh, and don't forget to review! (I sound like a broken record don't I?)**


	3. Spargus City

**Rebel: I hope you like chapter three! Like Haven City in this story, Spargus City is relatively the same as in the game. Oh, also, I'm sorry about not doing last minute editing to the last chapter or two. Hopefully, I'll remember to add in the bars that split up sections in the other chapters.

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3. Spargus City

"What do you mean we can't see Sig!" Kara shouted. The teenagers had arrived in Spargus around noon, and Kara had agreed to help them get into the palace to see Sig. Now a large guard stood in the way.

"I told you. He's busy with very important matters, and is not to be disturbed. Now move along." The guard said gruffly. Kara stalked off cursing under her breath. She walked up to the others who were waiting across the street.

"I'm guessing we aren't talking to Sig any time soon." Derek said with one look at Kara's face.

Kara held back some retorts and slowly calmed down. "That's right, but Sig has always had open court. I'm going to find out what's going on."

"How?" Grace asked.

"A lot of the people who work in the palace are out and about in the market place at this time of day. I have some connections that might be able to fill us in on the situation. Come on." Kara ran off down a street. The others followed her, weaving in and out of small crowds of people. Kara soon came to the bay.

"Why don't you guys look around a bit? I'm going to go chat with a few friends of mine." Kara said and disappeared into the mass of people wandering aimlessly through the small marketplace.

Derek resigned himself to chatting about the history of Spargus City with an old man sitting by the side of the road. Grace and Max went down to the water's edge and began skipping stones. At one point Grace began digging her toe into the sand, and ran into something metallic. She got down on her knees and began wiping away the sand. Max noticed what Grace was doing.

"What is it, Grace?" he asked curiously.

"I think it's an old eco pipe." Grace said, moving so Max could see. "The founder of Spargus must have used this pipe to create the entire city!"

Max made a face. "Why is one little eco pipe such a big deal?" he asked.

"Just think about it. He must have tapped into the eco and used it to power all the machines he needed. Water pumps, irrigation devices, a temporary shield against the storms."

"Wow." Max replied, picturing the work it must have taken. "So where's it go now?"

"It looks like it leads up toward that silo…" Grace's voice faded away as she looked up at the silo for the first time.

"What is it? Grace?" Max shook her shoulder a bit. In reply, Grace pointed weakly up at the top of the silo. Derek who had noticed Grace's strange behavior also looked in the direction she pointed. An enormous Metalhead egg was attached, pulsing unpleasantly as it slowly absorbed eco from the silo.

"Hey, guys!" Kara shouted as she ran up to her friends. "I figured out what's wrong with Sig!"

"So did we." Derek said gesturing toward the egg.

"Ugh. That thing's gross. That's not all, though. A large metal wasp flew overhead yesterday. The archers on the wall shot it down, but not before it was able to place that "thing" up there. Sig is worried because it's absorbing a great deal of the city's much needed eco, and when it hatches, it'll be huge!"

"It's probably part of the Metalheads' invasion plan. It'll be easy to defeat Spargus with Metalheads on both sides of the walls." Grace said as she looked up at the horrid egg.

"What's the problem though?" Derek asked. "Can't they just shoot it down or something? It doesn't seem that hard."

"It's harder than you think, Derek." Kara said grimly. "An egg that size will absorb any fire from handheld weapons, and they can't just go firing turrets at it, or they could puncture the silo. The worst part is where it was attached. The egg's almost impossible to reach." she finished.

Max had been looking around as Kara explained he situation. Now he turned back to her.

"I could make it up there. I just need to know how to kill it." he stated.

Kara gave Max a puzzled look, but answered. "If you use a plasma grenade, it'll take out the Metalhead and the silo should survive the blast."

"Thanks." Max said. "Now I just need a plasma grenade. Where the heck am I supposed to find one of those?"

"I got one!" the old man Derek had been chatting with earlier said. "A Wastelander is always ready for a fight, even an old one like me." he said, pulling out the grenade. "Go blow that Metalhead to Kingdom Come!"

Max nodded as he took the weapon. "Grace, come with me." he said. Grace followed as Max headed up to a building farther up the hill. "I need you as a counterbalance for what I'm about to do. Is that alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." Grace said. They climbed a ladder up to the roof of the building. When they reached the top, Grace saw what Max had spotted earlier: a system of pipes along the rooftops in the direction of the silo.

"Hope you're ready for this." Max said. He took out his jet board and began flipping some clasps on the bottom. Suddenly, the jet board extended to allow two people. Max hopped on in front, and steadied the board as Grace got on behind. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as Max took off.

Max grinded along the first pipe. Grace saw that they'd have to do a flip at the end in order to reach the next pipe. She closed her eyes and focused on moving her body in sync with Max's. She felt them leave the pipe, and for a split second Grace felt like she was floating. Then the board hit the next pipe hard, jolting Grace. Max put out his foot to stop as they landed on the new rooftop.

"Are you okay?" He asked Grace. She nodded. "Good because that was the warm-up. Now comes the hard part so I suggest you hold on." Max said. Grace tightened her grip as Max took off again.

Heslid along yet another pipe before jumping onto a small section of roof, then onto another one. 'It's like hopscotch.' Grace mused as they landed the second time. Then they grinded along a small section of pipe and jumped.

As the board made contact with piping along the top of the silo, everything seemed to slow down. Grace watched as Max reached into his pocket and pulled out the grenade. She saw him activate it, and then watched horrified as the handheld bomb slipped from Max's grip. Reflexively, Grace reached out and caught it. As the board grinded by the Metalhead, Grace felt her body leaning out toward the egg. Moving with her body, Grace reached out and shoved the grenade into the slimy, repulsive egg adhesive that bonded it to the silo.

Then everything seemed to speed up again. Grace and Max were flying off the end of the pipe, the wind whipping through their hair. The board jolted as it hit the rooftop below. Grace got off the hoverboard shakilysoMax could putit away. Then, the grenade detonated. The egg exploded, wisps of green gas flying up into the air and dissipating.

Max smiled with satisfaction as he reslung his hoverboard. He had only a moment to enjoy his victory when Grace spontaneously hugged him. Then she let go, with an embarrassed grin.

"S-sorry. I guess I got carried away." she said.

"No problem." Max said, blushing.

"You two lovebirds coming down?" Derek shouted up at them. Max got ready to snap at Derek when he leaned over the edge of the roof and saw who was down there. "It seems someone would like to speak with us." Derek called up.

Max and Grace climbed down to where Derek and Kara were waiting. Sig was waiting as well.

Hewrapped his arm around Max's shouldersand gave Grace a wink. "Hello, cherries. I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak with you earlier, but now you have my undivided attention." he said with a little grin. "I believe you had a message for me?"

"Yes sir." Derek said. "It's about the Metalheads."

"Well, it looks like you took care of that problem." Sig said with a chuckle as he glanced up at the now egg-free silo.

"No sir, that's not what the message was about." Grace said solemnly.

Sig looked at her face, and stopped leaning on Max which Max was secretly grateful for since Sig was starting to crush him under his weight.

"What's wrong?" Sig asked.

"I'm sure Ashelin told you about the Metalhead situation already." Grace said. Sig nodded. "Well, we happen to know that the Metalheads aren't going to wait for you to come and exterminate them. They have an army, and they're bringing the fight to you." Grace said.

At first Grace was worried Sig didn't believe her, but then she saw that he respected her opinion and was merely trying to sort everything out. "They have an army, huh? Do you know who their leader is?" Sig asked.

Grace hadn't really thought about it, but now that she did, the original message from Misty Island came to mind. "They have a queen, and I think the conversation we overheard was between her and her general."

"So, we don't know our enemy too well." Sig muttered. "Well," He said in a louder, more confident voice, "We'll just have to be ready for anything. When should they be here?"

Grace ticked off the days on her fingers. "They should move out tomorrow night or the next day,and they're fast, so they should be here maybe half a day after they start out." she said.

"Good job, rookies. That means we'll have at least a day to make sure everyone's armed to the teeth, and all our weaponry is in working order. I'll talk to Kliever about vehicles. You guys did real well." Sig said.

"As long as we stop the Metalheads." Grace said.

Sig gave Grace a long hard look. "You look like a friend of mine. You wouldn't be related to Jak would you?"

"Yes. I'm his daughter. We live up at the Citadel now. That's whydefeating the Metalheadsis so important."

"I'm afraid I'm not following. You don't seem to have told me the entire story." Sig said, turning to face Grace.

"The Metalheads are heading toward the Citadel, and they plan on crushing everything in the way, including Spargus City." Grace explained.

A pause followed. "We'll just have to make sure they never get past us." Sig said, understanding the danger involved. "Tomorrow," Sig said so the people behind him could hear, "I will have jobs for all of you. Those Metalheads aren't going to win. We stop them here. But until then," he said softer, "You should all get some rest. You will all have dinner with me, and then we'll find you some accommodations."

With that, Sig walked off. Everyone stood still until they realized that the conversation was done, and they rushed after Sig.

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**Rebel: I hope that was cool. I enjoyed playing with time concept…and blowing up stuff. Next chapter will be a little dry since it's all about preparing for battle, but it is essential if you want to know the whole story plot. Oh, and I decided that since I brought out all the other old characters, everyone would enjoy seeing Jinx again! Yup, he's in the next chapter, but don't expect it for a while. I'm lazy. **

**P.S. My birthday is tomorrow! (that's Tuesday) **


	4. Preparing for Battle

**Rebel: This chapter might be a little stale, but I had to have it for the story to work. I couldn't very well skip a whole day. Thanks to Shadow Systems and Touch Me In The Morning, I've decided to try and add more detail. Please review and tell me what you think. Oh, and Jinx is here!**

**Since I added Jinx, I'll restate this, but it's the last time because you should all know it. I do not own the original Jak and Daxter characters. Anyone or place you haven't heard of however, is most likely mine. All mine, Bwahahaha! Enjoy!

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4. Preparing for Battle

It was the third day since the Metalheads had invaded Haven City. Max had found his parents in one of the refugee buildings, and had decided to stay with them for the night. Grace and Derek had promised that they would all meet up again in the morning at the main gates.

Now the sun was just peeking over the horizon, setting the sky ablaze. The sound of people in the streets was almost completely drowned out by guns loading and wall turrets being tested. Sig was waiting when Grace, Max, and Derek arrived.

"Where's Kara?" Derek asked instantly.

"I sent her on an important mission." Sig said. "In fact, I've got jobs for all you hotshots. Max, I want you to go down to the battle arena. Ashelin and Torn have agreed to give basic defense lessons to everyone new to battle. I think you could do with some training. Derek, I understand you're fairly clever. I need you to help me sweet talk Kliever into bringing out his stash of Slam Dozers. Grace, you've got land mine detail. You'll be filled in when you get to your zoomer. Let's move Cherries!"

Sig walked off with Derek on his tail. Max looked at Grace and gave a little shrug before pulling out his board and taking off for the arena. Grace gave a sigh. "Let's get moving then." She said to herself. Grace came to the zoomer to find a strange man leaning against it. He was smoking a cigar and talking to a Wastelander.

"Look. There's Goldilocks junior now." He said to the man.

"Speak for yourself, ponytail." Grace snapped. "What are you doing leaning on that zoomer? It belongs to my friends and me."

"Chill, girlie." The stranger said. "My name's Jinx. I did some, uh, jobs with your dad. You're going to help me with the mines today." Jinx tapped the ashes off the end of his cigar.

Grace hopped in the driver seat and adjusted it.

"Hold on there, sweetheart. Who said you were driving?" Jinx protested as he leaned over the side of the zoomer.

"My years of training on lava tracks laced with lurker bombs and dark eco boxes." Grace said without looking at Jinx. She didn't like his attitude. He was treating her like a little girl, and while she expected that from important people like Sig or Ashelin, she would have none of it from this man.

"Okay, just don't get us killed." Jinx said as he hopped into the seat to her left. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" he asked mockingly.

Grace gave a loud sigh. "I suppose we'll be going fast enough I won't smell it so it's fine. Just hold on tight and tell me where I'm headed."

The door opened, and the zoomer took off. Jinx cradled the bag of mines in his lap to stop them from jolting and accidentally going off.

"Slow down there, speedy!" Jinx shouted. "We're coming up on the first spot. From here, we'll lace the mines along the desert, making sure to get all the paths those beasties might take." He gave a chuckle at the thought of Metalheads blowing themselves up.

Grace slowed to a stop. Jinx hopped out with his bag of mines and began setting some up. Then Grace heard a noise. Jinx heard it to, and began to hurry. Engines could be heard. As Jinx finished setting his mines, a Marauder came up around a dune.

Thinking fast, Grace grabbed her gun, stood up in her seat, and fired. Her aim was true, and the driver slumped over the wheel, dead. His foot off the gas, the vehicle slowed to a stop a few inches from Jinx's nose.

"Nice shooting there." Jinx said as he hopped in the zoomer. Grace looked pale. "What's wrong?"

"I-I've seen people die, and I've blown up a few Marauders, but this time, I just shot him. It was just…so easy." Grace hugged herself as she gave a little shudder.

Normally, Jinx wasn't a touchy feely kind of guy, but, he reminded himself, Jak's little girl was the one driving and watching his back on this mission. He needed her focused on the job and not some worthless dead Marauder, so he reached out and put a hand on Grace's shoulder.

"Hey now, don't get worked up over that piece of desert garbage. We're in a war now. It's going to get a lot worse, and you need to be strong." Jinx felt Grace's shoulders droop as she slumped a little.

'Oh nice job there, genius.' Jinx thought while mentally kicking himself.

"What I mean is if you want to go around saving the world, you can't feel sorry about killing your enemies." Grace looked down at her feet sadly. Jinx mentally kicked himself again while wondering if saying one last thing would make the situation any worse.

"Listen here, Gracie. I'll admit that I've done things I'm both proud and ashamed of, so trust me when I tell you this: What you're doing is the right thing. It may hurt, and it may be hard, but you just have to keep reminding yourself that it IS the right thing to do. Now dry those eyes and let's get a move on!"

Grace smiled weakly and wiped away the tears welling up. "So where to next?" she asked with a grin.

* * *

Grace and Jinx returned late in the evening just as the last hues of red left the sky, tired but satisfied. They parked the zoomer inside the city next to the garage door.

"See you later, Girlie." Jinx said, giving Grace's shoulder a squeeze. "I've got a bed calling my name." He put a new cigar in his mouth and walked off, waving to Grace before disappearing. As Jinx left, Derek came up behind Grace.

"So how was your day?" Derek asked, coming to a stop in front of Grace. Grace gave a groan as she rubbed out her cramped arms and legs.

Max came down one of the side streets to his friends. "You sound like how I feel." Max said. Derek noticed how stiff Max was.

"What's wrong with you?" Derek asked.

"I got Ashelin for a sparring partner." Max said. "I'm trying to flex as few muscles as possible so I don't hurt as much."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Let's put it this way. I'd be less sore if a herd of yakows trampled me."

"Well, let's all turn in for the night." Grace said, emphasizing her statement with a yawn. Her friends chuckled and followed as she led the way down a street.

As they walked, a hooded figure came down the road in the opposite direction. His face was hidden in shadows, and he limped as he walked. As the group passed the figure, Derek felt his shoulder brush the stranger's and the man whispered in his ear.

"Traitor." Derek turned to confront the man, but he was gone. Derek wondered who the stranger was, but didn't linger on it.

"So Derek," Max said to break the silence, "Is Kliever really as ugly as the rumors say he is?"

""Worse." Derek replied. Grace giggled.

Back up the street and around a corner, the stranger stood in the shadows. Nik reached up and pulled back his hood, running his fingers through his extremely pale blonde hair.

"Soon enough the Nyfe Vipers will have their revenge, and then we'll see who's laughing." Nik snarled and disappeared down the alley.

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**Rebel: You can just see the chaos beginning. Or at least you will in the next chapter. Sorry this took so long, but I had a writer's block. All three of the stories I'm writing were at either boring or difficult to write chapters so it took me a while. The next chappie however will be awesome. Don't forget to review and tell me what you liked in this chapter. I love Jinx trying to give his speech and screwing up. Hehe. If you give a good review and want to see it posted up on my profile in my review section, let me know. ; ) **


	5. Bloodsoaked Sand

**Rebel: Hey, sorry it took me this long to update. I'm doing three stories including this one, and I just did band camp. I hope you enjoy all the action and mayhem of this chapter as a peace offering. This chapter actually ended up being so long that I divided it into two chapters.

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5. Blood-soaked Sand

It was the dead of night. The torches flaring in the streets of Spargus only made the night seem darker. Sand Sharks, Gila Stompers, and several Slam Dozers stood sentinel at the main gates, and the walls of the city were lined with snipers. Spargus city was eerily silent as it waited for the onslaught to begin.

At the head of the desert vehicles sat Sig in a Slam Dozer. He picked up the Dozer's radio speaker and switched it on. "All Right Boys and Girls. Prime your weapons. The Metalheads are on the move." In the shadows of the night, on the farthest dune, groups of yellow orb shaped lights flickered. Next to Sig, Jinx turned on power to the Slam Dozer's turret.

"Ought to be one hell of a fight." he said with a cold grin.

"It sure will." Sig replied. Then he spoke into the radio again. "Release 'em."

Back at the gate, about fifty boxes stood against the wall. Max and nine others stood among these crates. Max looked to a burly housewife at the end of the row. She was listening into a radio. She turned and gave the others a thumbs up. It was time to go to work. Max and the others quickly opened all the crates, and kangarats spilled forth. They stood for a moment sniffing the cold night air. Then they smelled prey, and ran off in a huge pack.

"They're coming your way, Sig." The woman in charge said into the speaker. Then she set down the radio and herded everyone inside.

Grace looked back from her seat in a Gila Stomper. She watched as kangarats appeared from behind. They ran through the ranks, scurrying under, around, and even over the vehicles. They quickly broke free of the huddled ranks and kept running. As the kangarats reached the first wave of enemies, a strange sound could be heard; the death cry of metalheads. The kangarats had targeted their favorite prey, metalhead scorpions.

As the vicious little vermin caused chaos to spread through the enemy army like a contagion, Sig spoke into the radio again. "Snipers, fire!"

Derek sat up on the wall, the sighter of his modified blaster placed to his eye. The veteran soldier in charge gave the command and the snipers began to fire into the horde of metalheads. Derek sighted his first target and fired. He smiled grimly as a camouflaged metalhead fell to the hot sand.

As the snipers began their assault, Sig stood and turned in his seat to address the warriors ranged behind him in assorted vehicles. "People of Spargus and Haven City," Sig began, "We're gathered here for many reasons, and we all share a common goal." Some people nodded as Sig spoke. "But we're not gathered here to listen to a sermon. We're here to fight!" A few cheers rose among the dune buggies. "I want you to go out there and teach those ugly suckas the real meaning of war!" Sig shouted to the cheers and revving engines of his army. "Charge!"

Vehicles of all shapes and sizes raced across the desert toward the throng of metalheads. Pandemonium broke out as dozers threw metalheads left and right, and metal wasps attacked drivers.

Grace was in charge of protecting her driving partner, and the Gila Stomper. She spun her turret as she fired, making sure to protect the Gila Stomper's tires. As she faced forward, an arachnid charged the vehicle. Grace, realizing its intent, jumped out her door. As she rolled in the warm sand and freshly spilt blood, the arachnid slammed its head into the dune buggy, crushing the engine and causing it to explode.

The explosion threw Grace a few extra feet. As she got up, she watched in horrified curiosity at the arachnid. It had reared onto its four back legs in pain as the flames cooked it alive, turning its toxic purple fur a disgusting brown. Then it fell to the ground, its eco-tainted blood seeping out of shrapnel wounds. Grace checked to see how she had fared. She'd ripped the knee of her pants and she was covered in blood, but most of it was someone else's. Grace winced as she touched her face. A shallow cut ran from just below her right eye down her cheek.

'I was lucky.' Grace thought. Then she saw her partner who hadn't been so lucky. The man had burns across his chest, a nasty cut along his jaw, and a busted leg.

"Hey, are you alive?" Grace asked once she had reached the injured man. He gave a little groan. Grace carefully felt his leg, causing him to grimace. "It's shattered. We have to get you out of here, or you could lose that leg." Grace leaned in as the man muttered something.

"I want to stay and fight." he whispered. "I'd rather die a warrior's death than be a cripple."

"Are you crazy!" Grace cried. "I saw you before we left the city so I know that you have a wife and children. I'm pretty sure they'd rather have a cripple than a dead man!" Grace watched the man's face contort with guilt. "Now come on. We're getting you back to Spargus."

Grace looked around and spotted a Sand Shark, the driver sprawled in his seat with a hole in his chest from a metal wasp. Holding back the urge to be sick, Grace opened the door and pulled the still warm body out. 'Be strong, Grace. There's nothing you can do.' Grace thought to herself, allowing a shiver to run up and down her spine. Then she helped her wounded partner into the passenger seat. Jumping into the driver's seat, Grace noted that the chair was drenched in blood, but it didn't matter since Grace herself was already covered in the stuff.

As Grace drove, she heard the vehicle's radio come on. "Grace, pick up!"

She reached down and picked up the speaker. "Grace here. Who's this?"

"It's Sig. I saw you pull out. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sig. My partner needs medical attention so we're heading back...What was that sound?" she asked as something cried on the other end of the radio.

"Road kill." Sig said with a chuckle. "Grace, it's a good thing you're going back. I want you and your friends to head up north and warn the nearby villages. Jinx says there should have been more metalheads here. Some of them could have tried to skirt his mines and head north."

Grace heard the radio click off and on again. "Hey Goldilocks. You still there?"

"Hey, Jinx. What is it?"

"Listen up, Girlie. When you get back to the city, head for the elevator to the palace. In the throne room behind the right water wheel there's a door. Take it outside and cross the rope bridge you'll find. That should get you past the mines. Got all that, or do I need to write it down for you?"

"No, I got it. Thanks Jinx." Grace set her speaker down and drove on.

* * *

**Rebel: I'm sure this didn't seem like much to wait for, but you have to remember that I didn't decide to divide this chapter until I was done. If you're wondering about the villages u north and the fact that they shouldn't exist, well, I took a look at the maps on Jak III. I figure there's a channel separating Haven City and the Wasteland. For the sake of the story, I added a countryside north of the Wasteland which is connected by the volcano. Hope that clarified a bit. I'm also working on posting art for my characters on I'll make it my home page so you can look for updates. Don't forget to review!**


	6. Enemies around Every Corner

**Rebel: Oh, my god, I'm so freakin' lazy! Forgive me, people! If it's any consolation, I have the pictures of Grace, Max, Derek, Kara, and Eruhl all up on my homepage on Deviantart which you can reach from my profile. For those of you who haven't heard of deviantart, know that it is not a bad website in any way unless you choose to view bad pictures which, by the way, should all have mature content blockers, so it is a safe website. Back to my story, there's a bit of gore, some of my long winded descriptions (forgive me), and a new villain whom I will soon post on my homepage as well. Enjoy!

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Ch. 6 Enemies around Every Corner

When the gates had closed behind Grace's Sand Shark, the husky woman who'd been in charge of the kangarat release hurried up. At first she was worried about Grace, but then she saw the other passenger.

"By the Precursors! What happened?"

"An explosion." Grace said wearily as she got out of the dune buggy.

While the woman got the injured man on a stretcher, Max came up to Grace with a towel. "Hope this helps." he said, handing it to her. Grace took it with mumbled thanks and started to wipe off what blood she could.

"Come on. We need to get Derek." Grace said. Dropping the now filthy towel in the Sand Shark, Grace ran over to a ladder. Once on top of the wall, she waited for Max to climb up.

"Derek!" She called. From among the snipers, Derek rose, never taking his sight off an enemy below. He fired, toppling the distant beast before turning to Grace.

"What is it?" he asked, handing his gun to one of the men leaning against the vertical steel bracers sticking up out of the wall.

"Sig gave us orders to leave the city via the palace, and head north to warn the villages close by. Why are those guys there?" Grace asked, pointing to the group leaning on the bracers.

"Oh, them?" Derek replied. "That's the reserve. They replace snipers who either have to leave, like me, or people who get injured."

"How would you get hurt up here? You're on top of a wall!" Grace said. She was answered only moments later. Only twenty feet away, there was an explosion. As Derek got his friends out of the way so medics could reach the area, all three teenagers looked over the side of the wall. Three massive metalheads had snuck around the Spargaian defenses and were assaulting the gate.

Once on the ground, Derek looked at Grace and noted the look in her eye. "Forget it. Leave the gigantic and almost unstoppable metalheads to the soldiers. You're not superwoman and we've got orders." Grace's head drooped in defeat, but she nodded.

"We need our stuff before we go." Grace pointed out.

"We'll split up." Derek said. "I took our guns to a store for maintenance. I'll go pick them up."

Max piped in. "Our bags are back at the refuge. I'll get them. Grace, why don't you go on ahead and make sure the elevator's working?" They all agreed and ran off in different directions.

* * *

Grace ran through the dark streets, her throat burning from the dust on the wind. Finally, she reached the elevator and collapsed on the cool wooden floor breathing heavily. Then she noticed that the lift wasn't moving. "Crap." Grace muttered as she looked around to see what was wrong. There was a lever by her foot, but when she tried it, it wouldn't work.

As Grace tried to figure out what was jamming the lever, a large scaly tail suddenly wrapped itself around her waist and dragged her out. The tail quickly wrapped around Grace's entire body up to her shoulders, and she found herself facing the tail's owner, a terrifying new form of metalhead.

The metalhead appeared to be a huge cobra with arms that ended in sharp claws. Its scales were an almost black shade of green that gleamed like poison in the light of the street torches. A head gem glowed dully on the monster's brow, giving its eyes an eerie gleam.

The cobra-thing looked Grace up and down before hissing darkly in her ear, "Hello, there." It was the same reptile voice that had been talking with the metalhead queen on the radio after Haven City was invaded.

Grace wriggled in the metal snake's grip. Finally she got her left arm free and began to beat on the coils squeezing her mercilessly. The cobra creature began to laugh and grabbed Grace's wrist.

"You don't sseem to realize who you're dealing with." The metalhead said. He gave Grace's wrist a little squeeze and she cried out as his claws drew blood. "I am General Riemh. Now be good prey and hold sstill. I promisse to kill you fasst if not painlessssly."

"I don't care who you are." Grace snapped. "First chance I get, I'm going to turn you into a belt and matching boots!" She wrenched her other arm free and attempted to pry the claws around her wrist open.

Riemh brought his face level with Grace's as he examined the tattoos on her arms. "You? You are the one who bears the key to our destruction!" Riemh threw back his head and laughed.

'What is he talking about?' Grace wondered. 'What key?' Her train of thought was interrupted as Riemh fell silent.

"The weakling race'ss lasst hope and I get the pleassure of desstroying it." Riemh sneered. Grace watched as the metalhead's cobra hood flared and he opened his jaw wide to reveal glistening fangs.

Grace shut her eyes tight in fear as Riemh drew back to strike, but her eyes opened wide when she heard the familiar sound of a gun going off nearby. A reflexor shot came flying down the street and hit Riemh in the back of the neck.

Max and Derek came around the corner in time to see the giant snake-like metalhead drop Grace as he writhed in pain. Max ran to his friend's side while Derek covered him, his Vulcan's laser sighter on the cobra's chest.

"Are you alright?" Max asked as he threw Grace's arm over his shoulder and lifted her up.

"I will be." Grace said. Max helped her into the elevator and sat her down. Derek backed up into the lift, his gun still trained on the metalhead in the street.

"Get this hunk of junk moving." Derek told Max. Max tried the lever, but it still wouldn't move. "Hurry up!" Derek shouted. Riemh had finally recovered enough to wonder where his prey had gone. Grace gritted her teeth and kicked the lever hard, wincing as the pain shot up her leg and her bruised ribs. The lever snapped, but the lift began to move just Riemh realized what had happened. He raced over in an attempt to grab the three teenagers, but the lift was faster, and the trio found themselves in the safety of the shaft.

When the elevator finally stopped, Grace, Max, and Derek found themselves in the throne room. Max gave a low whistle as he looked around the grotto style room.

"Think that's impressive, look up." Derek said, stepping out of the elevator and glancing at the ceiling. Max looked up in awe at the massive urn-like chandelier spouting water on either side of the path. He helped Grace up and walked her over to the throne where he sat her down again.

"Now what?" Derek asked, looking around the room. "There's only one exit: the elevator."

"Jinx said there was a door behind the right water wheel. Grace said. Max pulled out a small first aid kit from the bags he'd brought. While Derek waded through the water, Max began to patch Grace up. First he had to clean the cut on her face which was luckily shallow. Then he began pulling out some wraps.

"Hey, Grace, there's nothing over here!" Derek called.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked. She winced as Max began to wash out the cuts on her arm that Riemh had given her.

"I mean I can't even get behind the wheel." Derek replied. "Heck, I can't even see back there."

"Keep looking." Grace pleaded. Derek nodded and started over toward the other water wheel.

Grace gripped the throne's arm rest tight as Max began to wrap her sliced up wrist. Max tied off the bandage, and Grace let go of the arm. As she did so, Grace felt a button click under her fingers. The sound of gears whirring could be heard, and suddenly, with a protesting screech and a grinding sound, the right water wheel moved forward. Behind the wheel lay a heavy wooden door.

"Well that was convenient." Max said, jumping in the water with Grace right behind him.

"Not convenient enough." Derek said. Max gave him a puzzled look. "Am I the only one who noticed the elevator went back down?" Max and Grace looked behind them. The elevator was indeed gone, but was coming back up.

"Quick, the door!" Grace shouted. Max reached the door first and ushered Grace through. He turned around and noticed that Derek had not moved from his spot by the second water wheel.

"What are you doing!" Max shouted heatedly.

"Keeping our guests busy." Derek replied, raising his gun and switching it to peacemaker. He aimed up towards the ceiling and fired. The water contraption overhead shattered and spilled its contents down the crevasse. Cries could be heard as metalheads in the lift were swept over the rail and down the shaft. Derek smiled grimly before hurrying over to where Max waited.

Max and Derek closed the heavy wooden door and locked it behind them before turning around. They stood on a small ledge illuminated by small flood lights over the door. A sudden gust of air swept across the platform at that moment. Max reached out to catch the rail, but found there was none. He would have fallen to the streets below if Derek hadn't caught him by the arm.

"Where's Grace?" Derek asked as he pulled Max back.

"I'm over here!" Grace called. Both boys turned their heads to see Grace waving from the opposite end of a rickety rope bridge.

"You've got to be kidding me." Derek muttered. "I am not getting on that thing." Just above his head, an eco round pierced the door. "Let's go."

Max went first, using the rope rails to put as little weight as possible on the floorboards. On the other side he waved for Derek to come.

Derek hesitated to get on the bridge, but moved when a second shot pierced the door behind him. Halfway across, a board snapped under Derek's foot and he pulled back. "I can't go on!" he called.

Max rolled his eyes. "Either jump and risk falling, or stay and wait for the metalheads!" he shouted.

"When you put it that way…" Derek reasoned, glancing back at the rattling door. He stepped back, breathed a little prayer, and leapt. He landed safely and rushed to the end of the bridge just as the door shattered into splinters. Four centurion metalheads wielding shields and short range blasters burst through the door.

"We need something to cut the ropes before they get in range of us!" Max realized. Derek reached down and whipped a knife out of his boot. "Do you always carry one of those?" Max asked.

Derek shrugged. "You don't?"

"Hold up a sec." Grace said. She walked up to the edge of the bridge and commenced provoking the metalheads on the opposite ledge.

"Hey, scum suckers! Over here!" When she had the attention of all four metalheads, Grace blatantly flipped them off. The metalheads, enraged beyond rational thinking by such behavior, all began to cross the bridge at once. "Your turn, Derek." Grace said with a smirk.

Derek flicked his blade and severed one of the ropes. The right side of the bridge collapsed, sending most of the wooden planks as well as a metalhead tumbling to the hard ground below. As the three others hung for dear life, Derek walked over to the other rope and cut it.

The bridge swung back and smashed against the palace wall. Two more metalheads fell to their death, but the last one was able to climb back up onto the platform. It turned around and slowly locked its gaze on Derek. Derek felt a shiver run down his spine. One of the metalhead's eyes was clouded over with a scar running across it. While the metalhead's good eye held Derek's gaze, the misty one seemed to look straight through him.

"Derek." Grace's hand on Derek's shoulder broke the cold spell. "Derek, we got to move." She nodded her head toward a ledge running along the volcano's side.

Everyone began to inch along the thin ledge, bits of rock crumbling underneath their feet. "Hey, Grace." Max said, breaking the silence. "Since we got some time to kill, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure." Grace said.

"First off, where'd a sheltered noble like you learn that hand gesture?"

"I'm not completely innocent to the ways of the world, you know." Grace replied.

"All right, I'll give you that." Max said. "Second question: Who fired that reflexor shot at Mr. Scaly?"

"You mean Riemh? I don't know." Grace replied. At least, she wasn't sure she knew. She replayed the terrifying moment in her head as she moved. As her eyes had shut tight, she thought she saw…but it couldn't be. Grace pushed the thought away and kept walking.

* * *

"Eruhl!" Nik shouted down the silent street. The silhouette at the end of the street waited for Nik to catch up.

"Yes?" Eruhl asked once Nik was at his side.

"Eruhl, why? Why didn't you let the metalhead eat that girl? You would have been rid of her for good."

"Because," Eruhl began in a terrifyingly soft voice, "When Jak Mar's child dies, I want her to feel true fear. I want her to suffer. And I want the last thing she sees to be me." Nik's hand went involuntarily to his throat as Eruhl gave a cruel laugh.

Eruhl walked over to his hellcat. "Come now, Nik. You don't want to stay and find out first hand who wins this battle, do you? I have a nasty suspicion it won't be the Wastelanders." Nik ran over as best he could with his limp, and hopped in. Eruhl climbed in and drove off.

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**Rebel: I noticed something. I think the reason I don't get many reviews is because people think they can't. Know that I do have my account set so you can send anonymous reviews. That means anyone reading can tell me what they think. I'd appreciate it. Also, I know all the new villains are overwhelming. I let a lot of minor metalheads live for a reason though. I want you to be able to read the third story, 'The Last Stand', and notice the metalheads from this chapter. I thought that would add an interesting dimension to the final story. Now I'm starting to ramble so I'll shut up.**

**Oh, and IF DRAGONJADEFIRE READS THIS, DON"T REVIEW YOU ANNOYING PERSON! I know that sounds harsh to all you readers, but my pal dragonjadefire doesn't read Jak and Daxter fics. She only reviews so she can gloat about her avatar DVD's and whatnot. The rest of you please review and be reassured that DJ is my friend. She's just overzealous sometimes. **


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